Modern Figurative Sculptures
The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw sweeping social change and major scientific advances — both of which contributed to a new aesthetic: modernism. Rejecting the rigidity of Victorian artistic conventions, modernists sought a new means of expression. References to the natural world and ornate classical embellishments gave way to the sleek simplicity of the Machine Age. Architect Philip Johnson characterized the hallmarks of modernism as “machine-like simplicity, smoothness or surface [and] avoidance of ornament.”
Early practitioners of modernist design include the De Stijl (“The Style”) group, founded in the Netherlands in 1917, and the Bauhaus School, founded two years later in Germany.
Followers of both groups produced sleek, spare designs — many of which became icons of daily life in the 20th century. The modernists rejected both natural and historical references and relied primarily on industrial materials such as metal, glass, plywood, and, later, plastics. While Bauhaus principals Marcel Breuer and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe created furniture from mass-produced, chrome-plated steel, American visionaries like Charles and Ray Eames worked in materials as novel as molded plywood and fiberglass. Today, Breuer’s Wassily chair, Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona chair — crafted with his romantic partner, designer Lilly Reich — and the Eames lounge chair are emblems of progressive design and vintage originals are prized cornerstones of collections.
It’s difficult to overstate the influence that modernism continues to wield over designers and architects — and equally difficult to overstate how revolutionary it was when it first appeared a century ago. But because modernist furniture designs are so simple, they can blend in seamlessly with just about any type of décor. Don’t overlook them.
Late 20th Century Dutch Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1970s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Crystal
1980s Swedish Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Figurative Sculptures
Alabaster
Late 20th Century Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Concrete, Cement
20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Iron
2010s Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Sheepskin, Upholstery, Lacquer
Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
1970s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum
1980s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
Late 20th Century European Modern Figurative Sculptures
Resin
1970s Italian Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain, Wood
2010s Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Granite
1960s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Lucite
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1990s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Acrylic, Lucite
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Terracotta
21st Century and Contemporary British Modern Figurative Sculptures
Earthenware
Late 20th Century Unknown Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1970s American Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
Mid-20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Figurative Sculptures
Earthenware
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
1980s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plaster
Late 20th Century Danish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
1970s Unknown Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
Late 20th Century Dutch Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
1980s Spanish Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
20th Century European Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Carrara Marble
Late 20th Century Spanish Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic, Stoneware
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Figurative Sculptures
Porcelain
20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Silver
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass, Blown Glass, Murano Glass
1990s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Resin, Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Resin, Plaster
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Stone
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Art Glass
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Resin, Plaster
2010s Modern Figurative Sculptures
Copper
21st Century and Contemporary French Modern Figurative Sculptures
Metal
2010s American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Plastic
Late 20th Century American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Marble, Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary American Modern Figurative Sculptures
Hardwood, Mahogany, Maple, Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Glass
2010s German Modern Figurative Sculptures
Wood, Paint
2010s Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Aluminum
1950s French Vintage Modern Figurative Sculptures
Ceramic
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Figurative Sculptures
Blown Glass